Father of 3-month-old baby who died after being left in hot car for hours facing charges
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The father of a 3-month-old baby who died after being left inside a hot car earlier this summer is now facing charges.
Led by an Allegheny County detective and followed by his attorney, Khang Nguyen, 33, turned himself in to authorities for arraignment Thursday morning. It’s the start of the legal process for Nguyen nearly two months after the death of her three-month-old son, Kayden.
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“It’s horrible. It just adds insult to injury,” said Nguyen’s defense attorney, Bill Difenderfer. “He has been grieving the death of his son and it is very difficult for him and the family.”
BREAKING: Khang Nguyen, 33, turned himself in this morning and faces charges stemming from the death of his 3-month-old baby, who died after being left in a hot car on Upper St. Clair in June. Charges: incl. involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment. @WPXI pic.twitter.com/L0Hw2u6aYl
— Pete DeLuca WPXI (@PeteDeLucaTV) August 11, 2022
The medical examiner ruled that young Kayden’s death was accidental, saying he died of hyperthermia after being left in the back seat of his father’s van on June 16.
A timeline in court records, established through surveillance video, shows the boy was in the back seat of the car for more than six hours.
Nguyen and the boy allegedly left the family’s Peters Twp., Washington County home before arriving at the Upper St. nail salon. Clair on Nguyen works at 10:48 am.
Investigators believe baby Kayden was in the car until around 4:50 p.m.
“The medical examiner ruled it was an accident and it clearly was,” Difenderfer said. “What that accomplishes other than really aggravating the situation with the family, I don’t know.”
The criminal complaint says Nguyen told police he forgot his young son was in the car with him and didn’t remember until his wife asked about the child when she arrived at her parents’ Upper St. home. Clair that night.
Allegheny County authorities charged Nguyen with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment.
Difenderfer believes the charges are unwarranted.
“Criminal law looks at a person’s state of mind and if, unfortunately, due to a lack of mental judgment, they did not remember or remember or had conscious knowledge that their child was in the car, how can they be required to criminally liable?” he asked.
Nguyen is scheduled to be back before a judge on Aug. 19 for a preliminary hearing.
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